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Old Man Fish
Old Man Fish, birth name Forto Reibus, was a member of the group of four thieves who stole the silver spike from the trunk of the Sapling. He was, as his nickname states, an elderly gentleman, but his combat, stealth, and hunting skills were relatively unencumbered by age. Fish would defeat several skillful opponents and it was suggested that he was a veteran soldier or a former mercenary. By his own admission, he fought in only a single battle, where he encountered the Black Company wizard Silent and would remember him years later. ''The Silver Spike'' Fish was a hardworking man with a tough personality that gave him a gruff demeanor. He respected those who he saw as competent and intelligent. He was fond of Smeds Stahl and Timmy Locan, who were his partners when they stole the silver spike. He despised his other partner Tully Stahl, however, as he bickered, wasted his money, and later tried to steal from the others. Fish was included in Tully and Smeds' plan to steal the silver spike because of his wilderness experience and his ability to keep the others alive and healthy. He created plans and traps that impressed renowned tacticians like Darling and Raven as well as the Imperial wizard called Exile. His intelligence and the force of his personality made him the de facto leader of his group, much to Tully Stahl's disappointment. Despite his age, Fish proved on numerous occasions to be profoundly dangerous in close-quarters combat. He ambushed three veteran soldiers: Raven, Case, Paddlefoot Torque, and also their captive, the thug Smiley, and completely subdued them all. Fish orchestrated the ambush to kill Smiley, who could expose him, and also to slash them all on the left cheek (the mark of the Nightstalker Brigade). This was part of his plot to sew discord among the rival imperial groups in the area. Fish observed when Smeds was kidnapped by Darling's followers, who wore the uniforms of Exile's imperial soldiers. He followed them to Lamber Gartsen's stable, which Fish had actually visited a few times ("back during his flirtation with the Rebel cause"). There, he found that Darling had also captured Brigadier Wildbrand of the Nightstalkers and one of her corporals. He snuck in and threatened both Nightstalkers, forcing them to lie about Smeds' identity. They did as he asked, and he freed them as promised. To liberate Smeds, he held Darling at knife-point and ordered Case to untie his co-conspirator. However, Paddlefoot Torque stumbled into the room unexpectedly, so Fish stabbed both Paddlefoot (with a wound that would prove fatal) and Darling, and threw a blade into Case. When he went to execute Case, Smeds talked him out of it, and the two spike thieves departed. At great personal risk, Fish sought out Exile to finally initiate the sale of the silver spike. Exile treated with him honestly and turned over the first bag of loot to Fish. Per plan, Smeds met Exile next, shared the location of the artifact, and left with their second bag of payment. Fish and Smeds successfully fled Oar with their treasure. However, not long afterward, Fish succumbed to the cholera outbreak which had plagued Oar during their time there. Smeds mourned him, and buried Fish's remains beneath a stone cairn. Fish Fish